Cash's work with Rick Rubin is what brought him back from obscurity and landed him a Grammy. What made the album so great was Johnny giving artists like Beck and Soundgarden spotlight by covering their tunes. While recording, Johnny told Rick the story of an encounter he had with punk legend GG Allin. He couldn't exactly remember his name at first, but the Man in Black noted that “he smelt like feces“ and gave him a “something, something, Junkies t-shirt“. Rick instantly knew that he was talking about GG. Prior to that, Cash never heard anything by Kevin Michael Allin, but was instantly hooked on the classic “ Freaks, Faggots, Drunks and Junkies“ record that Rick borrowed him. They, of course, chose the most obvious cut from the album (Die When You Die). However, due to the racism and homophobia in the lyrics, they decided not to waste time recording this with a full band. Still, Johnny and Rick recorded this on tape, just for fun, nothing serious (hence
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